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Backfill 2013 EOY: Part 2 of 4

As usual, bold for what should be higher, underlined for what should be lower and italics for all my notes and updates as I write now… this is archive writing from me copied from the year noted from Buzzjack.com. 2013’s songs this time, where I started at 200 like in 2011, although I gave a few honourable mentions… I got really into this, I doubt I’ll do the same this year.

The 200th placed song is Eurovision’s runner-up. I thought it was a very well-polished song if not as exciting as some previous Azeri entries. I did ‘cover’ this for a competition on Moopy which resulted in more listening than I’d normally give it. I think I’ve deleted that now though before anyone asks, which is good, it was very embarrassing. (Moopy’s just another site and don’t ask, I will not sing for you)

199. Iggy Azalea – Work

Only song of Iggy’s to make it this far. She had potential based on this but it quickly seemed to go away as Bounce got boring fast (this before she really got properly big and the zeitgeist would really turn against her, now her best song I think). Work however remains catchy.

198. One Direction – Kiss You

Similarly, the only song of THEIRS to even come close (and this one is definitely now their best song, but I was being incredibly generous putting it so high, they really are awful). Kiss You is a bit of revelation, it’s upbeat, extremely likeable and well, after their continued presence for nigh on 3 years, getting me to like even one 1D song is a bit of a miracle. I think it’s even my highest boyband song unless there is something I’ve forgotten, beating out anything my previous favourites The Wanted have released this year (holy crap their quality jumped off a bridge this time)

197. Mausi – Move

The only song on this list I have seen being performed live (on the whole list? I suppose, I really was bad at seeing bands live back then, the only reason I saw these guys was because they came by to a local venue and already knowing the name, I went along), which shot it up from high to very high in my estimations. Mausi really gave a great show (including intermittent shouts of ‘Mausi’ that came across as very endearing). That aside the energy in this is so enjoyable and happy, there is no reason for me to dislike this.

196. Cookies N Beans – Burning Flags

Plenty of Melodifestivalen entries will be making their appearances down low. The first of these is a great reminder why one should never judge a band by its name (which despite me saying this is something I do all too often). Cookies N Beans actually turned out to be a decent girlband with a lovely song in Burning Flags, although they were lucky to go as far as they did.

195. Kissy Sell Out (feat. Saint Saviour) – Gimme Sin

Well it seems Saint Saviour helped lift up another incredibly excellent song. While I had heard it last year I had passed over it until it was entered to BJSC, where I fell in love with not only SS’s voice but also the well-done instrumental. I can give songs a second chance.

194. Biffy Clyro – Biblical

The only BC song to sneak in this time is the suitably anthemic Biblical. Beyond providing one of the best videos of the year and being a little bit epic I ended up forgetting about it a lot so it doesn’t end up higher. Still love the band though, just need to give them more time. (awesome, awesome track)

193. Echosmith – Come Together

The first of my 10 BJSC entries to appear in here is probably the biggest misstep I made since my first entry back in 2011 (ironic, considering this band would later become big in 2015). I was a little stuck at the time and this was an entry meant to replace another that I didn’t even love at all, meaning this was one I could just about sorta get behind, so that it failed was no real surprise to me. It’s a little bit basic. It’s still in here because I do love the very warm voices from the band and the climax of it. I can still criticise the songs I like.

192. Nine Muses – Wild

It hasn’t been a vintage year for K-Pop unfortunately (but this is one of the best K-Pop tracks bar none). However despite that, this is one of the best girlband songs to come out of the genre in a long time, perhaps even since Volume Up. The harmonies are fantastic, the chorus frantic and exciting, all without ever stopping to catch for breath. The title of Wild is very appropriate in this case, and it’s a very good thing.

191. Koza Mostra & Agathonas Iakovidis – Alcohol Is Free

From one whirlwind of a song to another, the second Eurovision entry in this 200 is the Greek ska ode to alcohol. It’s very catchy and just a little bit iconic. Those are my reasons and I stand by them. (anthem!!!)190. Alida – Feathers

Alida’s debut song makes it in ahead of Some Of Us, largely for being less of a straight Ellie Goulding ripoff as well as promising a bit more of intriguing imagery in her lyrics. The dive into the chorus is great, with her ‘we won’t let gravity win’ hook, along with her being Scandi, I like thinking she was being prophetic about Eurovision.

189. Foals – My Number

The best song I’ve heard from Foals, upbeat and very much a great stadium anthem, I was cheering when it got even the little bit of success it did in the UK charts. It’ll probably serve as a gateway into Foals, as I also listened to Spanish Sahara and Inhaler following this, after ignoring them before.

188. Jason Derulo – The Other Side

This kept growing and growing, as I do like Derulo despite myself (urgh, why? I think this would be the last song I liked from him… mostly, so at least there’s that), this has at least been a better year than when he spent two weeks at #1 with the poor Don’t Wanna Go Home. It’s too catchy for it’s own good, I can get swept up in it far too easily, etc. I’m slightly embarrassed now. (hurray!)

187. Hafdis Huld – Pop Song

One of the highlights of BJFestivalen, this is a very perfect.. pop song. Hafdis’s delicate tones are very lovely to listen to. (the tone is almost machine-like perfect <3)

186. Arlissa – Ghosts

The first song I properly fell in love with from Arlissa after Hard to Love Somebody and Sticks N Stones showed promise, Ghosts was very interesting and showed off her vocal ability like no song of hers so far. It was also great for being an underrated song I could constantly call underrated. It would remain my favourite song of hers for a long while.

185. Justin Timberlake – Mirrors

One of the year’s big hits, it took me quite a while to come round to Timberlake’s return; he had never been my favourite popstar back in the day and I was put off a little by the great love abounding across this forum. Mirrors was good enough, even in its long form to stick with for quite a while, so I did, now it’s one of the best Timberlake songs.

184. Dreamtrak – Odyssey Pt. 2 (A.G Cook Remix)

That vocal remix is so worth it. I mouth the spoken word bits every time. Unique song alert, which always means good things. (this underrated tune is awesome)

183. Kat Krazy (feat. elkka) – Siren

One of the best obscure dance songs hanging around this year. The buildup and what follows is great, and the lyrics sound like it could be a reference to the mythological creature which trumps any imagery gained from making it a ‘modern siren’. I choose to believe.

182. M.I.A – Come Walk With Me

This took a little while to get my head around, but eventually I fell in love with it, M.I.A’s best effort since Bad Girls, it was getting into this that reminded me I needed to get Matangi. The song getting faster and the what I assume are Hindi instrumental sounds improve it tenfold. So lovely.

181. Ed Sheeran – I See Fire

Closing this section is Ed Sheeran’s soundtrack for the best film of the year, it’s a little minimalist and I was apprehensive about how it’d work with the film, however that closing scene allayed all my fears. It fitted perfectly, and by that time it had grown on me to become a great track for me to fit with Ed Sheeran’s few songs that haven’t completely tired on me from +. Like another certain soundtrack song further up, it’s the quiet reflective nature of the song that increases its power. In this case the huge ending manages to fit with that brilliantly, the build is coming throughout all the song. (the Kygo remix of course is just as brilliant but I don’t think that was this year, I probably had I See Fire around for a couple of years, probably my most enjoyed Ed Sheeran song these days, for Lord Of The Rings reasons, so I have no idea why it’s so low)

180. Paramore – Now

Paramore’s comeback single to lead off their first full-length since Brand New Eyes was not the best they’d ever been. Despite a rousing chorus it felt a little weak and didn’t make me excited for their 4th album at all. However it is a Paramore disappointment (no no no, it’s amazing, it just took a bit of time to grow) which still makes it better than most songs (although I like that statement) so it gets a modest position here.

179. Nikki Williams – Glowing

I thought she was supposed to be big. Glowing is a very lovely piece of pop that came across as far more likeable and cool than her debut Kill Fuck Marry. It may just be dancepop but there is a lot to like here, she even feels slightly credible, and for the genre, that’s an achievement.

178. Prides – Out Of The Blue

A lovely song from Unknown Pleasures here, things like this are why I keep entering over there, it’s a lovely synthpop song with a fab marching beat that I never actually charted but made a point of putting in here because it’s so divine. ❤

177. Ravaillacz – En Riktig Jävla Schlager

Back to Melodifestivalen, and we have the year’s ‘joke’ entry, being sung by a load of old men. However, underneath the novelty, what it is is an EXCELLENT song under the guise of a load of middle-aged former singers having a bit of fun (seriously, if those Swedish House Wives had sung this instead of whatever they had I’m sure it’d be more popular among fans), and that makes it very enjoyable. The MF final would not have been the same without it. I still enjoy coming back to it even now. (I should just let this one speak for itself, I recommend you go and look it up on Youtube, the performance is awesome)

176. PSY – Gentleman (how could you not love PSY for his audacity if nothing else)

From one novelty song to another, the followup to Gangnam Style couldn’t match that in its ability to connect or quality but countered this with having an even more ridiculous video and staying with PSY’s style of Asian hip hop that worked so well on Gangnam, leading to something that is enjoyable if forever in the shadow of its more well-known predecessor.

175. Marina & The Diamonds & Charli XCX – Just Desserts

Marina hasn’t been that active this year aside from chucking out the odd late addition to Electra Heart. However the one thing I really loved from one of my favourite singers of last year was this duo with Charli XCX, which also managed to be the first thing in a long while that the latter had sounded incredible on. It works as well as you’d expect even if I only loved it for a short while in the middle of the year somewhere.

174. Drake (feat. Majid Jordan) – Hold On We’re Going Home

Drake’s biggest hit yet also happens to be his best yet (wouldn’t stay that way though would it), less of his awful rap abilities and more of his singing voice which tends to be where he’s best (yeah, having heard basically anything of his from 2016 I have to disagree, but it’s nice on Hold On). While it’s not quite as good as Take Care and I’m currently going through the overplay stage with this, I was quite happy to see this take off in a big way when it first did.

173. Chase & Status (feat. Louis M^tters) – Lost And Not Found

This C&S era has been a bit of a comedown from the almost perfect No More Idols lot, and Lost And Not Found feels typical C&S on autopilot, but it’s cool enough to be a competent return and fortunately wasn’t the highlight of the era.

172. Amandine Bourgeois – L’Enfer Et Moi

Ever I since started to watch Eurovision, I’ve never enjoyed the French entry this much (French entries tend to be real growers so I love most of the past ones before this now). It manages to ooze utter class and still feel very darkly upbeat, and I was disappointed it flopped as predicted. I don’t want to use the ‘too good for Eurovision’ cliche but this feels like the perfect song to use it on. France should be sending a lot more of this every time.

171. Calvin Harris (feat. Ellie Goulding) – I Need Your Love

Another of the big dance hits, took me a while to actively come round to this but it’s Ellie’s breathy vocals and that would win me round eventually. Still a little too forgettable to be her best and while it’s not far off Calvin’s best from the last couple of years it’s not quite there.

170. He Is We – Lead The Fight On (Acoustic)

A track put online by He Is We as they lost a couple of members with only Rachel Taylor from the original lineup continuing hasn’t YET led to a new album despite rumours of one. Lead The Fight On seems to be an acoustic teaser, and it’s a typically great offering from them, so if that’s the direction she’s taking the band in I’ll be on board.

169. HAIM – Don’t Save Me

Not quite HAIM’s strongest but managed to be good enough to keep me following their releases as they came off winning Sound Of, a decent tune from the beginning of the year.

168. Christina Perri – Human

One of the newest hits on my chart (and hopefully a bit of a hit in the UK in 2014 (indeed, I think this one goes far higher in 2014)), Christina Perri’s comeback shows she can still produce a lovely slow ballad. This one isn’t even depressing. Not that depressing.

167. Amaranthe – Afterlife (extolled this one’s virtues so much already in the album rank)

Amaranthe’s stormy opener to my #1 album is one of their best tracks, showing off the synergy between the band remarkably well as harsh vocal-guy and Elize come together very skillfully to produce one of the most joyful choruses in a metal song I’ve ever heard. Despite my preference for Razorblade back there, this gets in ahead of it as I never actually charted the latter. (yeah I have/had weird rules for this, it’s just to make it easy)

166. Antonia – Marabou

It HAS been a while since Romanian dance-pop was actually a thing, wasn’t it? Marabou is a bit of a throwback to a couple of years ago in that case but it’s more sexy and seductive than any of those big hits ever were. Very addictive.

165. Duke Dumont (feat. A*M*E) – Need U (100%)

I am surprised at how high I put this, for a big hit it’s very easy to pass by and yet it never loses the shine that originally made it pretty good. It never got that high in my chart for this reason but it’s still among the essentials from 2013. I’ve probably never said I love this song and that’d be true, but it should be this high because… dance tune that sounds very nice.

164. Joywave (feat. KOPPS) – Tongues

Another song I never actually charted and that was quite the mistake. From the same UP as Prides even, this one managed to go one better and win. With Swept winning following this I’ve now voted for that contest’s winner 5 consecutive times, and 2 consecutive 20s (which means I am incredibly on the ball there, surprisingly). This is the best winner from at least this year though, the hooky synths are too addictive. (this is quirky as all hell and it’s lovely)

163. St. Lucia – Elevate

A late summer tune from St. Lucia, building on the goodwill I held towards him for September. Elevate did feel a little lacklustre at first but then I just realised I wasn’t paying as much attention to the final minute as I should, and of course the final minute is incredible, the song definitely ~elevates~.

162. Terese Gredenwall – Breaking The Silence

Something very good from a Melodifestivalen no-hoper, it’s a beautiful ballad that feels very crystal clear. One of the best songs there that didn’t make it to the final.

161. Haloo Helsinki – Huuda!

A new single from one of Finland’s loveliest bands of the moment at the beginning of the year showed off a fabulous new rocky direction for Haloo Helsinki that I fell in love with very quickly, of course. Finnish-language pop-rock should be more of a thing. I was quite devastated when it failed to qualify in BJSC. I haven’t gotten round to listening to any of their further songs though. (when I did, this wouldn’t be the best but still v. good from this lovely band)
160. Avicii – You Make Me

The first of plenty of Avicii songs in here, I never took to You Make Me as much as I might have expected but Salem El-Fakir continues to be a welcome presence on any song he chooses to grace, his normally wispy vocals sounding a little more ordinary but also more powerful. When compared to the others though…

159. Robin Stjernberg – You

Further proving that I really don’t listen to songs I initially have no interest in, I barely knew the Melodifestivalen winner when it score a shock triumph back in March, despite paying the most attention to MF ever. In the following two months, as I got over the bitterness over it beating YOHIO, I realised it was actually pretty amazing and went entirely the OTHER WAY and was predicting it to smash Eurovision. It disappointed me there, but it is remarkably euphoric in the chorus and a great song despite the double stumbling blocks of a) Robin’s non-popstar image b) the terminal song title. (and then I promptly forgot about it and went back to being bitter over Sweden sending this comparatively boring song over YOHIO)

158. Taylor Swift (feat. Ed Sheeran) – Everything Has Changed

A late single from Taylor’s great current effort, this reaffirms my rule of duets: I will probably like them (that’s it). The acoustic sounds in this otherwise relatively straightforward song make it quite a bit more powerful than it would otherwise be, the feel for the instruments is really there.

157. Frida Sundemo – Snow

I really need to have a good snowfall so I can look out across the snow-covered hills and listen to this as it was meant to be (alas, that never happens where I live but when it does, all of the Snow songs are coming on). A huge step up from Indigo, Snow does exactly what Ellie Goulding normally does with vocals fitting the instrumental but more on point in that then even she normally is, it is wintery like nothing one would expect and just joyful because of that.

156. Banks – Fall Over

This took a little while to hit me (therefore never actually charted) but when it did, was totally ready to get behind Banks for ever, and the followup songs I have listened to were great if not quite as good as this. Her voice is very addictive, and her ability to hold notes like she does here even more so. RnB pure bliss.

155. The Planets – Grassland Theme

Despite being years old, I only heard this this year thanks to David entering it to BJFestivalen and it was pretty much instantly love, so wonderfully atmospheric. With the juxtaposition of the name ‘The Planets’ I immediately began picturing planets covered in grassland and defaulted on Dantooine from the game Knights Of The Old Republic. It’s hard to get that image out of my head. But that aside whenever this pops up now I know I’m in for 3 lovely minutes of ambient relaxation. (this is an early hint to my delving into modern classical crossover that would come the following year)

154. Le Youth – C O O L

Had a mini-revival with Me & U at the exact point of the year that this began doing well in the charts. So naturally I began to really like this again… it’s really clever, funky and a wonderful use of the sample.

153. Elitsa & Stoyan – Samo Shampioni

Water is one of my favourite Eurovision entries ever, and Bulgaria are one of my favourite countries. Therefore, following what happened in May I wept with the Bulgarians as their prize artists failed to give them a 6th straight dumping out at the semi stage, something they never deserved. If I were them I’d have left after this as well, but I do hope they’ll be back very soon. Oh.. Samo Shampioni itself. The instruments are fabulous, they are sonically interesting and there’s a good lead-in to the lyrics, if I had one criticism it’s that the singing doesn’t work as well as it did on Water and feels a little bit lazy. Still, a damn shame this failed.

152. AlunaGeorge – Diver

One of the sort-of singles leading up to the release of Body Music, this is also a song that emulates the feeling of its title (I like those, you might have noticed), it feels like you can dive into this one, particularly as Aluna’s vocals become precariously high towards the end.

151. B.A.P – One Shot

Epic, yes. Iconic, yes. One of the best K-Pop songs this year, yes. One Shot has a typically great song structure that adds much to the experience, especially with the video, it is awesome and yet also tear-jerking. I can get behind Yu absolutely with this one, even better than last year’s Warrior for dark K-hip-hop-boyband work (and yes that is a very specific subgenre that I’m not even sure if I’m just making up a name for, correct me Yu). The power ripples through One Shot and it is an impressive composition; this song is why Eastern boybands are currently doing it far better than their Western counterparts. (and, even though I’ve had limited exposure to K-Pop boybands lately, I am confident that they still are doing it much better than their Western counterparts)

The closest counterpart to Why Start A Fire in this year’s MF, and the only female to make it to the final, what started out as a love affair with the song’s title turned into a love for the song itself, which makes for a very endearing listen.

149. Rizzle Kicks – Lost GenerationAnd damn right I’m a $l*t, you know this, but I’m a boy it’s all good

Filled to the brim with clever hard-hitting lyrics, my goodwill towards one of the best hip-hop acts in business right now was resumed when Rizzle Kicks returned with Lost Generation. It’s very catchy but not that you can’t ignore the lyrics, which is good, it’s the point. #trend (probably because of the lyrics of this beautiful rap track)

148. Cady Groves – Forget YouAnd every day I say I love you more than I did before and I don’t think it’s a lie

Cady’s return single was pretty brilliant, I won’t deny that. It’s a little more commercial (and yet still failed to take off in any way) than previous attempts and does fail to match them for pure love but it’s a great little pop ditty that still manages to keep her unique vocal tones that are my main reason for loving her. That and her Twitter account.

The best thing I’ve heard from Sound Of nominee Chloe Howl so far. Very lovely pop song with an intriguingly long and infectious chorus, was all over this at the start of the year and if she puts out more like this I’ll watch her career closely (haven’t quite been taken with Paper Heart yet)

In here from last year as it grew on me quite late and is actually a very solidly sung song, if very suited for the clubbing scene. It’s the highest here as my favourite tracks on Warrior were never released as singles and so I didn’t chart them etc. (still adore this, great song)

145. James Blunt – Bonfire HeartI’ve been putting out fires all my life

Gotta love a bit of Blunters, especially when there’s no reason to even hate because it’s not annoying. I could listen to this over and over again and wouldn’t mind, it’s very good and seems remarkably resilient against overplay for one of his. MoR ANTHEM. *.*

144. Hozier – Take Me To Church (the first of 3 EOYs in which it would appear because of its belated release schedule + that it was an amazing song that had a long life with me)I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies, I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

Seriously, this is amazing. Flawless almost. The lyrics are so on point, and even without the powerful video it feels like a moment, the pathos in his voice comes through just as intended. Future hit now please. Only isn’t higher because I can’t put it any higher, it was getting incredibly hard even around this point and even near perfect songs had to be cut.

143. Janelle Monáe – Dance ApocalypticBut I need to know, if the world says it’s time to go, tell me, will you freak out?

So much energy in Janelle’s second single. It’s rare that a song using apocalyptic themes sounds so upbeat and catchy. I fell for this incredibly hard as soon as I heard it and thereafter I was back on board with Janelle for The Electric Lady.

142. Chase & Status (feat. Moko) – Count On MeI know I will be there for you

The lowest song on this list that was a #1 for me, it IS one of C&S’s best but I was probably being a bit hasty giving it that status as it dropped like a stone out of my chart after that. It may not have helped that I went on holiday the week after and I didn’t have an MP3 of it yet. Lovely funky song though.

141. Gabrielle Aplin – Panic CordWe’re just a box of souvenirs

The best song on English Rain and one that took a little while for me to get but I couldn’t let it go all year after I did. I love her voice anyway but it works very well on Panic Cord, so husky and longing. (maybe her best these days, not that I’ve listened for ages actually!)

140. RL Grime – Because Of U*slightly sexual spaced-out trap noises*

Nearly every other trap song I’ve heard has been awful (I had a bad introduction to that genre). Not so for Because Of U, it’s got some very brilliant production leading it off and and when those vocals hit… luscious. Even though I can’t work out what they’re saying. This would be a very good direction for trap to go in in the future, I hope it happens.

139. Wave Racer – Rock U Tonitelet me rock u tonite

Just ahead of my 8 points from the latest BJSC comes my 10-pointer. Again some very lovely pulsating synths in some genre of dance, it is very lovely to listen to all the time and yet another great discovery. I often find myself mouthing the title with the vocalists and sometimes even on the occasions where the instrumental just mimics where they would sing it, always a good sign in a song I like.

138. Kelly Sweet – SirensI’ll never make the same mistake again

Completing a trio of BJSC discoveries, Kelly Sweet’s lovely Sirens is next on this list. Lovely smooth pop track, very addictive. Drop into the chorus is lovely. Again, these better be those mythological sirens she’s singing about rather than this. (mythology, I love all of that shit, as is probably evidenced by my History Of A Nation series)

137. Lady Gaga – ApplauseI’ve overheard your theory “nostalgia’s for geeks” I guess sir, if you say so, some of us just like to read

I may have never been on board with the whole ARTPOP deal and kept being massively put off in every way possible.. except for the lead single. Applause is just a brilliant pop song (as are a lot of her singles once you take away the imagery) and that’s all I’ll take from Gaga. I was initially surprised at how much I loved this though, it was far better a song than Katy Perry’s lead and that is not the way round I normally work things.

I really should stop using positive adjectives because I’m all out. Wasting My Young Years is fantastic, beautiful and a great intro to London Grammar, even if it took its time to fully grow.

135. Calvin Harris (feat. Tinie Tempah) – Drinking From The BottleIf you ain’t lean, then you’re in the wrong scene, If you ain’t high, then you’re not on my vibe

Iconic club tune. And quite genuinely my favourite single from 18 Months (and probably still!!!). Tinie and Calvin work so well together and each of them is on top form here. Plus I have several good memories in first year with this (all orderly ones, I assure you, future employers).

134. FAUL (feat. Wad Ad) – ChangesBaby I don’t know, just why I love you so

News of this becoming an international hit is very pleasing (so again, one that would be far higher in 2014). It uses a fantastic sample chorus and the dance tune + brass is lovely.

It probably wasn’t noticeable but I had a very Eminem week one week back in November, playing his singles over and over again, and that week he made up my top 3. Rap God was 3rd. It’s mainly notable for his insane speed and joining Kanye in claims of divine right this year. A very very fun song but the return of said rap god is far from over in this EOY chart. (insanely good actually, probably one of the very best rap tracks of this decade bar none, I’m not even sure why it was so low)

132. Arlissa – Into The LightOpen up my eyes and show me life I never knew

A very lovely song from Arlissa towards the end of the year, this doesn’t tire and gets better the more you hear it. Arlissa is very talented, up to now she might not have had the best songs, but Into The Light is more like it. Commercial success is probably beyond her now.

131. Amaranthe – The NexusI rise so you can be a part of me, I hide as part of the machinery

The first single and title track from The Nexus, this was actually the first Amaranthe song I heard. All three singers work equally on this one and the result is a very brilliant futuristic sounding metal song. My heart races just a bit every time the chorus starts.

Estonia are a very reliable nation at Eurovision, unlike their neighbours they make good use of their closeness to Nordic culture, and this is just the latest in a long line of good Eurovision entries, made essential by how likeable and nice it comes across with Birgit singing. It took a while but this was one of the easiest songs to go back to after the contest, especially with that gorgeous Estonian language. (my god, I love this beautiful, beautiful song, doing this is bringing back all sorts of great memories)

129. Little Mix – Little MeWish I could somehow go back in time and maybe listen to my own advice

The sample! And as this is also a great example of how Little Mix’s voices have just become phenomenal, it’s an extremely enjoyable listen for one of the hits from the tail end of the year, let’s hope it continues to rise in 2014. Lovely feel-good song.

128. Katy B – What Love Is Made OfAnd I could stay like this for days, looking at your beautiful face

I feel like I’m one of a few who really loves this song. What Love Is Made Of is just as good as anything off the first album and was rich and instant enough for me to fall in love immediately. The other two singles have done their share of growing to overtake this in my affections, but it’s still very very good. The album is going to be awesome.

127. Caro Emerald – Tangled UpDid I go dutch? This is too much!

I love how rhythmic most of Caro’s songs are and Tangled Up is no exception. A very lovely comeback single from the woman who just prior to this surfacing had me playing a large amount of ‘Deleted Scenes..’ to very high levels.

This is much lower than I had expected it to be. A collaboration with Within Tempation and Tarja is really one of the best I could imagine, although when it came to it and I started repeating listens of it it didn’t quite hold up to my lofty expectations. Their voices are in fine form though. (not as good as it could have been but still a fine song)

Peacock is INCREDIBLY cute. I for once prefer the English version, I’m not too keen on the idea of translating K-Pop songs as they’re normally good enough but Z.Hera has a great grasp of English so it works even better than originally now I have lyrics to go with it. Definitely one to try out if you like cuteness in pop in any way, I can’t really criticise it, it still makes me very happy, despite barely registering any impact in BJSC LV.

124. SOPHIE – BIPPI CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER

It should probably be established by now that strong stabbing synths beats are very much my thing. So this was a brilliant discovery from BJSC, one of my favourites this year.

123. Caitlin Rose – MenagerieCome on and dance over broken glass and destroy all of these beautiful things

From the same contest, Menagerie is more of a directly pleasant listen. It’s one of the ones that I was one of the few to really fall for but this is some really good songwriting and singing from Caitlin here.

122. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?I dreamt about you nearly every night this week

Quite the slow burner again, Do I Wanna Know is infectious due to its dark beats, and were it not for the second single slightly upstaging it, I’d say this was the best thing the Arctics had released in at least 5 years.

121. Birdy – WingsUnder a trillion stars, we danced on top of cars

So, when Birdy produces an original song, it is actually quite good! I had suspected this as I really liked her voice despite her insistence on covering songs rather than producing her own, and this just exceeded all expectations. It is very emotional and well-done, welcome to music proper Birdy!

So not many underlines this time, if any! I think I mostly still accept pretty much all of it as good tracks, even though I haven’t listened to a good number for ages. And a good few of them I have listened to far more than their position suggested, Arctic Monkeys one of the most recent examples as Do I Wanna Know has aged really well as a track. Up to #120 now, more will come later.